Chapter 169 It wouldn't hurt to go take a look.
Song Chunxue was a little scared when she heard her fourth sister say something to her.
That's what my fourth sister used to say when she wanted to discipline her.
Song Chunmei glanced at her with a knowing look and went to the kitchen to knead dough.
Song Chunxue arrived at the haystack.
The bottom layer of the haystack is buckwheat stalks, with wheat stalks sandwiched in between, and flax stalks on top, because flax stalks are good for drainage and prevent rainwater from easily seeping in.
These grains are amazing; the flour they grind into is delicious, and the milling rods are easy to burn.
Just like sesame seeds are used to extract oil and are the most precious, sesame stalks are the easiest to ignite, and the flames are bright and don't produce much smoke. Wheat flour is the best to eat, and wheat stalks are soft and dry, usually used for starting fires.
Buckwheat stalks are difficult to ignite, prone to mold, and produce only smoke when lit, making them easy to spew fire.
Although Song Chunxue thought buckwheat was delicious, it was very easy for it to get damp and spoil.
To make crispy lard cakes, the fire needs to be strong, so Song Chunlian pulled up wheat stalks and sesame stalks to burn.
Song Chunxue squatted on the ground, pulling hard on the wheat stalks with both hands, wondering why her fourth sister was still not speaking and what she wanted to ask.
"Fifth brother, I know you're not a child anymore, and you have your own opinions. Sometimes I feel that you're more mature and composed than any of us. You speak like an old woman in her seventies or eighties, so calm and collected," Song Chunlian said slowly, her tone gentle.
"..." Song Chunxue thought to herself, "Fourth Sister is still the most perceptive. She's the first person to think I look like an old woman."
"But what you're doing now is too outrageous. Fifth Brother, you actually went to dig up a grave. Aren't you scared?"
Song Chunlian looked at her with pity in her eyes, "Have you encountered some insurmountable obstacle that suddenly turned you into this?"
Song Chunxue froze abruptly, feeling as if an arrow had struck her hard.
Fourth Sister's words struck a chord with her.
As widows, they were both in the same boat, and the fourth sister understood her better than anyone else.
This time, Song Chunxue didn't cry.
She felt tears welling up inside her, but on the surface, she met her fourth sister's gaze with a faint smile and composure.
"I don't know either. Anyway, whether you can get over it or not, it's all in the past now. Fourth Sister, you don't need to worry about me. Actually, there's nothing wrong with digging up graves. If you find something good, you'll get addicted. Once you do it once, you'll do it again. Gradually, you won't be so afraid anymore."
She lowered her head and pinched her nose. "Fourth sister, don't worry about me. I don't care about other people's opinions now. I don't want to let other people's views trip me up. Many unbelievable things are ordinary to me."
"Before I met my senior brother, I had a hard time overcoming obstacles, but it's much better now. Although you might think I'm obsessed, I feel great."
Song Chunlian asked her, "Will you continue like this, never home, always hanging around with the Taoist priest?"
Never home?
Song Chunxue chuckled lightly, "What good is staying home? The children might not appreciate it."
Seeing the sadness in her eyes, Song Chunlian ultimately said nothing more.
Her second brother had visited before, and she knew about her eldest son's affair with the Chen family's daughter.
"Will you be able to dig up anything valuable?" Song Chunlian pressed down on the firewood in the basket. "Fourth Sister wants to advise you to know when to stop and not be too greedy. Enough money is enough."
"Grave robbing isn't exactly something to be proud of, so don't get addicted to it." She sighed softly. "Don't think it sounds harsh, but it's just like stealing. What if you're bored and just want to dig up someone's grave in the village?"
"Pfft..." Song Chunxue couldn't help but laugh out loud, "They're all so poor they're practically licked by dogs, why would I dig up their graves?"
Song Chunlian was taken aback, then laughed along with her, and playfully slapped her.
"You still know how to be cheeky. I'm worried that you're not the same as before. If someone bullies you, you might go and dig up their ancestral graves."
“But those that are a hundred years old are rarely dug up, wouldn’t that cause karma? The ones my senior brother finds are either ones that don’t need to be worried about, or ones that have already been dug up. Don’t worry, Fourth Sister.” Song Chunxue laughed carelessly, “Even if they’ve been dug up, it’s fine. Anyway, I can’t have a harder life in my next life.”
Song Chunlian hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
The two sisters went into the kitchen, where the third sister, Song Chunmei, had already kneaded the lard and flour.
"You two went to dig for gold? It's been so long since you came back from gathering firewood. Hurry up and start a fire, cook it quickly and come back sooner. You're so slow."
Song Chunmei is an impatient person and can't stand people dawdling over their work.
"I'll start the fire." Song Chunxue sat on a low stool, lit the sesame stalks, and the large iron pot quickly warmed up.
"Third Sister, aren't you going to try to persuade Fifth Brother?" Song Chunlian asked, puzzled. "If something had gone wrong last night, she would have been killed by wolves. You've seen how strong those wolves' legs are. The people in this village were almost wiped out by wolves before. Fifth Brother can't have this habit of going out at night."
Song Chunmei scoffed, "If it weren't for the Taoist priest's great abilities, do you think Fifth Brother would have dared to go alone? You overestimate her. She's such a timid person. If the Taoist priest hadn't insisted on dragging her along to try her luck, she would have preferred to piss on gold rather than dig up a grave. What's she worrying about?"
"Smack!"
She received a solid slap.
"Ha ha ha ha."
"Hahahaha, that's the truth."
"Third sister, you know me too well."
Song Chunxue laughed until tears streamed down her face.
When Master Zhang and Alai returned from the mountains, the laughter of the three sisters came from the kitchen, and they sounded very harmonious.
Ah Lai chuckled and said, "My mother rarely laughs like that."
Master Zhang nodded, “Having many sisters has its advantages. After a long time, a single meeting is better than meeting a friend.”
He went to the east room and stuffed the two full bags of small silver bricks into the bundle full of clothes.
He pulled out a few pieces in front of Alai and said, "Come on, let's have some crispy pork lard cakes."
Alai lifted the curtain and waited for the Taoist priest to come out. "Taoist priest, you're not leaving today, are you?"
"You must leave. The Taoist priest has other matters to attend to and cannot stay any longer."
Alai's smile faded, and he looked at the Taoist priest with disappointment. "Couldn't you stay one more day, Taoist priest?"
Just then, Song Chunlian came out of the kitchen carrying a bag of crispy lard cakes. "Is the Taoist priest leaving?"
She sincerely urged him to stay, saying, "It's not easy for us to get together like this. We're all destined to meet. The Taoist priest is also Lao Wu's senior brother, so he's practically family to us. Why can't you stay a couple more days before you leave?"
Song Chunxue smiled and said, "Senior Brother comes and goes without a trace. He may have something to do. Fourth Sister, there's no need to stop him. Let him go."
"It's nothing important. Since Fourth Sister has so kindly invited me, I'll stay another day." Master Zhang turned and patted A-Lai's head. "This child is very perceptive. I'll teach him for another day."
Song Chunlian's face lit up with joy. "Alright then, Daoist Master, would you like to come with us to visit some neighbors?"
Where are you going to visit?
“Let’s go to my second brother’s house. He’s always been the kindest to us sisters,” Song Chunxue said with a smile. “Senior brother, would you like to visit him while you’re there?”
Master Zhang raised his hand and pinched, "Little Ji, things went fairly smoothly. It's fine to go and take a look. Everyone is here today, so let them know you have a senior brother, so they won't say you're a crazy woman later."
Song Chunlian smiled and put her arm around Song Chunxue's shoulder. "The Daoist Master is very thoughtful. Fifth Brother, you've really met a good senior brother. Study hard from now on. Now that you've got the guts to read, why worry about not being able to become a Daoist nun? When you've mastered it, find me a good burial site so that Alai's later life will be smoother."
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